It’s not unheard of for people in New Jersey to be arrested for one offense and then charged with an entirely different offense based on what police encounter. In some cases, that crime might be an even more serious one than what would have been charged initially.
It’s also true that folks who have past criminal convictions might find those details reported in the press once again if they are facing new charges. The old convictions might have nothing at all to do with the current charges, but by virtue of them being mentioned, it might cast even more doubt on the person who has been accused.
An example of this comes to us from Saddle Brook, where police came to a home on a domestic violence accusation. A woman called 911, and police arrived shortly thereafter. Eventually, a 51-year-old man was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. However, police allegedly found a cache of weapons and explosives, so the man was charged with weapons crimes as well.
On top of that, it was reported that the man was a registered sex offender; he was convicted of endangering the welfare of a child some two decades earlier. The 1993 incident has no bearing on the man’s current case; however, the fact that it has been brought up could make building a criminal defense case all the more difficult. It’s situations such as this one that can emphasize the importance of having an experienced New Jersey criminal defense attorney on your side.
Source: NorthJersey.com, “Saddle Brook Police find arsenal of weapons in home,” Katherine Milsop, March 20, 2014
